Hook and eye.



Patented Au 22, I899.

No. s3|,752.

W. S. RICHARDSON.

HOOK AND EYE; (Application filed Aug. 15, 1896..

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES ATENT O FFICE.

\VILLIAM S. RICHARDSON, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE BALL AND SOCKET FASTENER COMPANY, OF NASHUA, NEIV HAMPSHIRE.

HOOK AND EYE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 631,752, dated August 22, 1899.

Application filed August 15, 1896.

To (all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM S. RICHARD- SON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Hooks and Eyes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanyin g drawings,forming a part of this specitication, in explaining its nature.

The invention relates to the herein described improvement in hooks and eyes. They are preferably made of wire, but not necessarily so. The eye has a central spring-tongue, the end of which is shaped to engage the end of the hook when in place and acts as alatch to hold the hook from unhooking too easy. The hook is provided with an end beyond its bend, having a hole or aperture adapted to receive the end of the spring-tongue of the eye. The spring-tongue also acts, in conjunction with the hook, as a means by which the hook may be easily removed from the eye when the eye and hook have been turned to an angle in relation to each other approaching a right angle.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in rear elevation of my improved eye. Fig. 2 is a side View of the same. Fig. 3 is a view in rear elevation of my improved hook. Fig. 4 is a side view of the same. Fig. 5 shows the improved hook and eye attached to a garment and represented as engaging each other.

Arepresnts the eye, and B the hook. The eye has the back at, having a hook-entrance a, which may be made somewhat pronounced by bending outward slightly the lower bar a of the eye. The eye also has at its upper end the attaching-eyes a Q The eye a is formed in part by the extension a which provides the spring-tongue a. This tongue extends centrally between the sides of the eye and beyond the cross-bar a and its lower end has a slight projection a opposite the cross-bar (L This projection engages a hole, aperture, or bar on the point end of the hook automatically as the hook is engaged with the eye and serves as a detainer in preventing the too easy or accidental unhooking of the hook.

The hook B is constructed as represented in Figs. 3 and 4. It has the back I), provided with the eyes I), by which it is attached, the

bend b and a short extension 11 beyond the Serial No. 602,917. (No model.)

bend. This extension has the hole or aperture Z), which is within the bar biforming the end of the hook, and it is in this aperture 12* and against the bar 19 that the retainer, or detainer, as I have called it, automatically shuts to retain the hook in place.

By making the end 5 of the hook short it becomes possible to employ the tongue in disengaging the hook from the eye as well as in engaging it. It acts to disengage when the hook or eye, or both, are turned at an angle to each other approaching a right angle, the bar 17 of the hook then riding up the incline (t and being forced from engagement with the bar a of the eye by the spring-arm a.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States 1. As an improved articleof manufacture, an eye member of a hook and eye having two sides united by a cross-bar o one of which sides has at its upper end an eye a and the other of which sides is extended from its upper end between the two sides and behind and beyond the said bar to form an eye a opposite the eye a and a latching-tongue a bent inward and outward in respect to the bar a as shown and described, its outwardlybent end extending below and away from the bar a as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination of the eye A having the opening a, the cross-bar a and the latching tongue a bent inward and outward at its lower end, its outwardly-bent portion extend ing beyond and away from the bar a with the hook B having the eyes I) and the semicircular end 12 having the opening 5 adapted to engage the bar a of the eye as described, and to receive the end of the locking-tongue in the recess of the semicircular end, whereby the hook is held in place by the contact of the side of the tongue at its end with the end of the hook, and whereby also provision for the outward movement of the tongue upon the disengagement of the hook from the eye by the movement of the end of the hook against the side of the tongue is made,-as and for the purposes set forth.

IVILLIAM S. RICHARDSON.

\Vitnesses:

F. F. RAYMOND, 2d, J. M. DOLAN. 

